The Gainesville Civic Center looks the same on the outside, but the inside has gone through a complete transformation.
The three story building has fresh paint, new carpet, and updated art, but officials also added three new break out rooms and a fully upgraded audio/visual set up.
Gainesville Parks and Recreation Director Kate Mattison said they knew their A/V components needed work.
"If we're being totally honest, we have lost rentals over the years because we hadn't upgraded," said Mattison. "It was really important to us, and we're hoping to welcome back people who may have said, 'Hey, I don't want to see a mobile cart come out with projector on it and a pop up screen.'"
Mattison said they now have two 120 inch screens in their grand ballroom, complete with an updated sound system. Other rental rooms, including board rooms and the new break out rooms, are also equipped with the new technology.
The offices on the first floor were moved to the third floor, and in their places are the three new break out rooms. "Not everybody needs a space the size of the ballroom," Mattison said.
The break out rooms are on the first floor, and a brand new reception area greets anyone entering for any of the rental spaces. The offices that were originally on the first floor are now on the third floor, which had been used as storage and previous offices.
While the look of the civic center has been upgraded, Mattison said they felt it was important to keep the already established identity of the building.
"We haven't had a huge makeover like this - painting, flooring, window treatments, things like that - since the early 1990s," said Mattison.
Mattison said they chose neutral tones to compliment some of the historic photographs they selected as art for the walls. Most of the photos came from the Hall County Library System, and were printed on stretched canvas.
Favorite longtime elements, like the rock wall and the ballroom, kept their charm.
"Those are original hardwood floors, so we didn't want to do anything to disrupt those," she said. "What we ended up doing was just sanding them and staining them a slightly darker color."
The civic center renovations began in January and the building was closed for renovations until March. The space is now open and taking rentals.
